Editing Mark Shuttleworth

{{Short description|South African entrepreneur and space tourist (born 1973)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2016}}
{{Use South African English|date=December 2012}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Mark Shuttleworth
| image = Markshuttleworth-dublin-20101116.jpg
| caption = Shuttleworth in [[Dublin]], 2011
| birth_name = Mark Richard Shuttleworth
| occupation = Entrepreneur
| nationality = South African and British
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1973|9|18}}
| birth_place = [[Welkom]], [[Free State Province|Orange Free State]], {{nowrap|[[South Africa]]}}
| website = {{Official URL}}
| module = {{Infobox astronaut | child=yes
 | image =
 | type = [[Space Adventures]] Tourist
 | rank =
 | selection =
 | time = 9d 21h 25m
 | mission = [[Soyuz TM-34]]/[[Soyuz TM-33|TM-33]]
 | insignia = [[File:Soyuz TM-34 logo.png|60px]] [[File:Soyuz TM-33 patch.png|60px]]
 }}
}}

'''Mark Richard Shuttleworth''' (born 18 September 1973) is a South African and British entrepreneur, founder and CEO of [[Canonical Ltd.|Canonical]], the company behind the [[Ubuntu]] Linux operating system.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Canonical |url=https://www.canonical.com/about |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170408174354/https://www.canonical.com/about |archive-date=8 April 2017 |access-date=10 August 2017 |publisher=Canonical Ltd}}</ref> In 2002, Shuttleworth became the first African to travel to space, doing so as a [[Space tourism|space tourist]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=12 December 2001 |title=Nasa makes space tourism U-turn |work=BBC News Online |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/1706176.stm |access-date=2 September 2012 |quote=approval to plans to make the South African internet millionaire Mark Shuttleworth}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=25 April 2002 |title=Space tourist lifts off |work=BBC News Online |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/1945950.stm |access-date=2 September 2012 |quote=South African internet millionaire Mark Shuttleworth is heading for a short stay}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=4 April 2004 |title=International Space Station: Soyuz 3 Taxi Flight Crew: Mark Richard Shuttleworth |url=http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/crew/exp4/taxi4/shuttleworth.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020204004443/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/crew/exp4/taxi4/shuttleworth.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 February 2002 |access-date=2 September 2012 |quote=Mark was born on 18 September 1973 in mining town Welkom, in South Africa's Free State province}}</ref> He holds [[multiple citizenship|dual citizenship]] from South Africa and the [[United Kingdom]].<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Leake |first1=Jonathan |last2=Swinford |first2=Steven |date=19 July 2009 |title=It's blast-off Britain as ban on space flight ends |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/its-blast-off-britain-as-ban-on-space-flight-ends-v352tltv6lp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104181549/http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/article178922.ece |archive-date=4 November 2013 |access-date=2025-02-28 |work=The Sunday Times |location=London |quote=Mark Shuttleworth, a South African entrepreneur with dual British nationality...}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Mark Shuttleworth – Contact Details |url=https://www.markshuttleworth.com/contact-details |access-date=24 September 2010 |publisher=Mark Shuttleworth |archive-date=5 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231005174828/https://www.markshuttleworth.com/contact-details |url-status=dead }}</ref> As of 2020, the ''[[Sunday Times Rich List]]'' estimated Shuttleworth's worth at £500 million.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Times|first=The Sunday|title=Rich List 2020: Profiles 201‑300=|newspaper=[[The Times]] |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/article/rich-list-2020-profiles-201-300-kqng3sckj|access-date=2020-09-23|issn=0140-0460}}</ref>

==Early life==
Shuttleworth was born in [[Welkom]], [[Free State Province|Free State]], South Africa, to a surgeon and a nursery-school teacher.<ref name="nyt-vance">{{Cite news |last=Vance |first=Ashlee |author-link=Ashlee Vance |date=10 January 2009 |title=A Software Populist Who Doesn't Do Windows |work=[[New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/11/business/11ubuntu.html?pagewanted=all |access-date=12 January 2009 |quote=charismatic 35-year-old billionaire from South Africa ... son of a surgeon and a kindergarten teacher}}</ref> He attended Western Province Preparatory School (where he became Head Boy in 1986), followed by one term at [[Rondebosch Boys' High School]], and then Bishops/[[Diocesan College]] where he was Head Boy in 1991.<ref name="wpps-ad">{{Cite web |last=Western Province Preparatory School |author-link=Western Province Preparatory School |date=18 February 2011 |title=WPPS embraces every aspect of today's educational requirements |url=http://www.wpps.org.za/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=465&Itemid=256 |access-date=29 September 2012 |website=Cape Times |page=12 |format=A Commercial Feature |quote=and 1986 head boy Mark Shuttleworth, who, as the first South African in space, flew with the Soyuz mission to the International Space Station}}{{dead link|date=April 2014}}</ref><ref name="bishops-invite">{{Cite web |title=Interesting Facts |url=http://www.bishops.org.za/info/invitation/?menuid=2 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017074219/http://www.bishops.org.za/info/invitation/?menuid=2 |archive-date=17 October 2013 |access-date=29 September 2012 |website=Invitation to Bishops |publisher=Bishops [[Diocesan College]] |quote=Mark Shuttleworth was Head boy in 1991 and was the first Afronaut in Space on 2 April 2002 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> Shuttleworth obtained a [[Bachelor of Business Science]] degree in [[Finance]] and [[Information systems|Information Systems]] at the [[University of Cape Town]]. As a student, he was involved in the installation of the university's first residential Internet connections.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Quick facts about UCT |url=https://www.news.uct.ac.za/article/-2015-03-09-quick-facts-about-uct |access-date=2017-11-15 |website=news.uct.ac.za }}</ref>

==Work==
In 1995, Shuttleworth founded [[Thawte Consulting]], a company specializing in [[digital certificate]]s and [[Internet security]]. According to The Official Ubuntu Book, Thawte became the second-largest [[certificate authority]] after [[VeriSign]]. Shuttleworth sold Thawte to VeriSign in December 1999,<ref name="histubuntu">{{Citation|title=A Brief History of Ubuntu |work=The Official Ubuntu Book: Introducing Ubuntu |date=2008-04-23 |via=[[informIT]] |url=https://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=1186095&seqNum=3 |access-date=2025-04-25}}</ref> earning him [[South African rand|R]]3.5&nbsp;billion ({{US$|575}}&nbsp;million, equivalent to [[Dollar sign|$]]{{Inflation|US-GDP|575|1999|r=0}}&nbsp;million in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}).<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 December 1999 |title=VeriSign Buys South Africa's Thawte for $575 Million |url=http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/266911/VeriSign-Buys-South-Africas-Thawte-for-575-Million.htm |access-date=15 November 2010 |website=InternetNews.com}}</ref>

In September 2000, Shuttleworth formed HBD Venture Capital (''Here be Dragons''), a [[business incubator]] and [[venture capital]] provider, now managed by Knife Capital.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.co.za/vc-exec-keeps-rejection-letters-2018-3|title=An Exec Who Invests Mark Shuttleworth's Money Keeps Every Rejection Letter He Has Ever Received – Here's Why|website=BusinessInsider}}</ref> In March 2004 he formed Canonical Ltd., for the promotion and commercial support of [[free software]] projects, particularly the [[Ubuntu (operating system)|Ubuntu]] operating system. In December 2009, Shuttleworth stepped down as CEO of Canonical Ltd. to focus on "product design, partnerships, and customers", with COO [[Jane Silber]] succeeding him.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Mark |last=Shuttleworth |date=17 December 2009 |title=My New Focus at Canonical |url=http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/295 |access-date=21 December 2009}}</ref> Shuttleworth returned to the position of CEO of Canonical in July 2017, with Silber moving to Canonical's [[board of directors]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jane Silber |date=12 April 2017 |title=A new vantage point |url=https://blog.ubuntu.com/2017/04/12/a-new-vantage-point |access-date=10 August 2017 |website=Ubuntu Insights |publisher=Canonical Ltd}}</ref>

==Linux and FOSS==
{{See also|Free and open-source software}}
[[File:Mark Shuttleworth (2009).jpg|thumb|left|Shuttleworth speaking in 2009]]
In the 1990s, Shuttleworth participated as a developer of the [[Debian]] [[operating system]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Developers LDAP Search |url=http://db.debian.org/ |access-date=20 April 2010 |publisher=The [[Debian]] Project |quote=User Mark Shuttleworth (login "marks", PGP/GPG key id 0xD54F0847)}}</ref> According to the Official Ubuntu Book, he was the first to upload the [[Apache HTTP Server]] "into the Debian project's archives".<ref name="histubuntu"></ref>

In 2001, he formed the [[Shuttleworth Foundation]], a nonprofit organisation dedicated to social innovation and funding educational, free, and [[open source software]] projects in South Africa, such as the [[Freedom Toaster]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Khamlichi |first=M. el |title=Mark Shuttleworth - The Man Behind Ubuntu Operating System |url=https://www.unixmen.com/mark-shuttleworth-man-behind-ubuntu-operating-system/ |access-date=2020-04-21 }}</ref>

In 2004, he returned to the free-software world by funding the development of [[Ubuntu (operating system)|Ubuntu]], a [[Linux distribution]] based on Debian, through his company, Canonical Ltd.<ref name=":0" />

In 2005, he founded the Ubuntu Foundation and made an initial investment of US$10 million. In the Ubuntu project, Shuttleworth is often referred to with the [[tongue-in-cheek]] title "Self-Appointed [[Benevolent Dictator for Life]]" (SABDFL).<ref>{{Cite news |title=Ubuntu carves niche in Linux landscape |publisher=[[CNET]] |url=http://news.cnet.com/Ubuntu+carves+niche+in+Linux+landscape/2100-7344_3-5886194.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106191945/http://www.cnet.com/news/ubuntu-carves-niche-in-linux-landscape/ |archive-date=6 November 2015}}</ref> While travelling to [[Antarctica]] aboard the [[icebreaker]] ''[[Kapitan Khlebnikov]]'' in early 2004, Shuttleworth took six months of Debian [[mailing list]] archives with him to compile a list of potential hires for the project.<ref>[[Linux Format]], [http://www.linuxformat.co.uk/waugh.html Jeff Waugh (LXF 87)]. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516200726/http://www.linuxformat.co.uk/waugh.html |date=16 May 2008 }}</ref> In September 2005, he purchased a 65% stake of Impi Linux.<ref name="impi">{{Cite web |date=29 September 2005 |title=Shuttleworth bets on ImpiLinux |url=http://mybroadband.co.za/nephp/?m=show&id=828 |access-date=28 August 2006 |publisher=MyADSL}}</ref>

On 15 October 2006, Mark Shuttleworth became the first patron of [[KDE]], the highest level of commercial sponsorship available.<ref name="kdepatron">{{Cite web |date=15 October 2006 |title=Mark Shuttleworth Becomes the First Patron of KDE |work=KDE.news |url=http://dot.kde.org/2006/10/15/mark-shuttleworth-becomes-first-patron-kde |access-date=16 October 2006 |publisher=KDE}}</ref> This relationship and financial support for [[Kubuntu]] (the Ubuntu variant using [[KDE]] as the main desktop) ended in 2012.

On 17 December 2009, Shuttleworth announced that, effective March 2010, he would step down as CEO of Canonical to focus on product design, partnerships, and customers. [[Jane Silber]], COO since 2004, succeeded him as CEO.<ref name="ceo">{{Cite web |date=17 December 2009 |title=Mark Shuttleworth steps down as CEO of Canonical |url=http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/295 |access-date=17 December 2009 |publisher=Mark Shuttleworth}}</ref>

In September 2010, he received an honorary degree from the [[Open University]] for this work.<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 February 2010 |title=Honorary Awards 2010 |url=http://www8.open.ac.uk/students/ceremonies/files/ceremonies/file/graduate-directory-2010.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101008174609/http://www8.open.ac.uk/students/ceremonies/files/ceremonies/file/graduate-directory-2010.pdf |archive-date=8 October 2010 |access-date=21 September 2010 |website=Conferment of Honorary Degrees and Presentation of Graduates |publisher=The [[Open University]] |pages=8, 13 |quote=Mr Mark Shuttleworth, DUniv, Versailles, 11 September}}</ref>

On 9 November 2012, Shuttleworth and [[Kenneth Rogoff]] debated [[Garry Kasparov]] and [[Peter Thiel]] at the [[Oxford Union]] in a [[debate]] entitled "The Innovation Enigma".<ref>{{Cite web |date=13 November 2012 |title=Innovation or stagnation – a great debate |url=http://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/event/1403 |access-date=24 December 2012 |website=The Oxford Martin School Blog}}</ref>

On 25 October 2013, Shuttleworth and Ubuntu received the Austrian anti-privacy ''[[Big Brother Awards|Big Brother Award]]'' for sending local Ubuntu [[Unity (user interface)|Unity Dash]] searches to Canonical servers by default.<ref>{{Cite press release |title=BBA 2013 – quintessenz – Big Brother Awards 2013 – Yes We Scan! |publisher=Big Brother Awards |url=http://www.bigbrotherawards.at/2013/marketing.php |quote=Körberlgeld mit lokaler Suche: Marc Shuttleworth, Ubuntu |language=de |access-date=10 November 2013 |work=Marketing}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sneddon |first=Joey-Elijah |date=28 October 2013 |title=Ubuntu's Amazon Shopping Feature Wins Anti-Privacy Award |url=http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2013/10/ubuntu-wins-big-brother-austria-privacy-award |access-date=10 November 2013 |website=OMG!Ubuntu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=28 October 2013 |title=Ubuntu's Mark Shuttleworth wins Austria's Big Brother Award |url=http://www.muktware.com/2013/10/ubuntus-mark-shuttleworth-wins-austrias-big-brother-award/15265 |access-date=10 November 2013 |website=Muktware}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lee |first=Micah |title=Fix Ubuntu |url=https://fixubuntu.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141013012748/https://fixubuntu.com/ |archive-date=13 October 2014 |access-date=11 November 2013}}</ref> In 2012, Shuttleworth had defended the anonymisation method used.<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 September 2012 |title=Amazon search results in the Dash |url=http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/1182 |access-date=10 November 2013 |website=Mark Shuttleworth Blog Archive}}</ref> He later reversed the decision; this feature is not present in current Ubuntu versions.

==Spaceflight==
[[File:Mark Shuttleworth NASA.jpg|thumb|Shuttleworth on board the International Space Station]]

Shuttleworth gained international attention on 25 April 2002, becoming the second self-funded space tourist (after [[Dennis Tito]] in 2001) and the first South African in space.{{Efn|name="african"|Shuttleworth is the first citizen of an independent African country to go into space. [[Patrick Baudry]], an earlier astronaut, was also born in Africa; however, since Baudry's native Cameroon was a French [[colony]] at the time of his birth, he is considered a French citizen. Shuttleworth also had British citizenship at the time of his flight.}} Flying through [[Space Adventures]], he launched aboard the Russian [[Soyuz TM-34]] mission as a [[spaceflight participant]],<ref name=iss-nasa>{{cite web |url=http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/ISSRG/pdfs/soyuz_missions.pdf |title=Soyuz ISS Missions |publisher=NASA |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111202114355/http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/ISSRG/pdfs/soyuz_missions.pdf |archivedate=2011-12-02 }}</ref> paying approximately US$20 million<ref name="space" /> for the voyage (equivalent to ${{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=20|start_year=2002|r=2}} million in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}). Two days later, the [[Soyuz spacecraft]] arrived at the [[International Space Station]], where he spent eight days participating in experiments related to [[AIDS]] and [[genome]] research. On 5 May 2002, he returned to Earth on [[Soyuz TM-33]]. To participate in the flight, Shuttleworth underwent one year of training and preparation, including seven months in [[Star City, Russia|Star City]], Russia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mark Shuttleworth |url=https://paulcolmer.co.za/index_files/page0051.htm#:~:text=In%20order%20to%20participate%20on,asked%20him%20to%20marry%20her. |access-date=2023-11-19 |website=paulcolmer.co.za}}</ref>

From space, he spoke via video link to [[Thabo Mbeki]], then president of South Africa, as part of the [[Freedom Day (South Africa)|Freedom Day]] celebrations marking the end of [[apartheid]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=A leap forward, Mbeki tells Mark|url=https://www.news24.com/News24/A-leap-forward-Mbeki-tells-Mark-20020427|access-date=2020-09-23|website=News24}}</ref>

He also had a radio conversation with [[Nelson Mandela]] and a 14-year-old South African girl, Michelle Foster, who asked him to marry her. He dodged the question, stating that he was "very honoured at the question" before changing the subject.<ref name="space">Space.com, [http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/mandela_shuttleworth_020502.html Nelson Mandela Chats with Shuttleworth], 2 May 2002. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050406210009/http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/mandela_shuttleworth_020502.html |date=6 April 2005 }}</ref> The terminally ill Foster was provided the opportunity to have a conversation with Mark Shuttleworth and Nelson Mandela by the Reach for a Dream foundation.<ref>BBC News, "[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2012307.stm Afronaut mourns his 'bride']", 28 May 2002.</ref><ref>Dispatch online, [http://www.dispatch.co.za/2002/05/28/southafrica/CANCER.HTM Mark's biggest fan dies of cancer], 28 May 2002. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050829044813/http://www.dispatch.co.za/2002/05/28/southafrica/CANCER.HTM |date=29 August 2005 }}</ref>

==Transport==
He owns a private jet, a [[Bombardier Global Express]], often referred to as ''Canonical One'' but owned through his HBD Venture Capital company.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuWeeklyNewsletter/Issue16#head-54c204893e3c82b8629568b7372811780fcc50a4|title=UbuntuWeeklyNewsletter/Issue16 - Ubuntu Wiki|website=wiki.ubuntu.com}}</ref><ref>Ask [[Slashdot]]: ''Mark Shuttleworth [http://interviews.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/04/04/1859255 "Canonical One doesn't *actually* belong to Canonical"]''</ref><ref>[[Airliners.net]]: [http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0805262 Bombardier BD-700-1A10 Global Express]</ref> The dragon depicted on the side of the plane is Norman, the HBD Venture Capital mascot.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2016-08-25 |title=12 Things You Didn't Know About South African Millionaire Mark Shuttleworth |work=AFKInsider |url=http://afkinsider.com/131619/12-things-you-didnt-know-about-south-african-millionaire-mark-shuttleworth/10/ |access-date=2017-11-15}}</ref>

==Legal clash with the South African Reserve Bank==
When moving R2.5 billion in capital from South Africa to the [[Isle of Man]], the [[South African Reserve Bank]] imposed a R250 million levy to release his assets.<ref name="htxt_levy">{{Cite web |title=Mark Shuttleworth wants his R250 million back from SARB |date=25 August 2014 |url=http://www.htxt.co.za/2014/08/25/mark-shuttleworth-wants-his-r250-million-back-from-sarb/ |access-date=1 October 2014 |publisher=htxt Africa}}</ref> Shuttleworth successfully sued the Reserve Bank in the Supreme Court of Appeal to have the levy returned. However, on 18 June 2015, the [[Constitutional Court of South Africa]] reversed the lower courts' ruling, finding that the primary purpose of an exit charge was to regulate conduct rather than raise revenue.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Mogoeng |first1=CJ |author-link=Mogoeng Mogoeng |last2=DCJ Moseneke |first2=DCJ |author-link2=Dikgang Moseneke |last3=Cameron |first3=J |author-link3=Edwin Cameron |last4=Froneman |first4=J |author-link4=Johan Froneman |last5=Jappie |first5=AJ |author-link5=Achmat Jappie |last6=Khampepe |first6=J |author-link6=Sisi Khampepe |last7=Molemela |first7=AJ |author-link7=Mohube Molemela |last8=Nkabinde |first8=J |author-link8=Bess Nkabinde |last9=Theron |first9=AJ |date=18 June 2015 |title=South African Reserve Bank and Another v Shuttleworth and Another |url=http://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZACC/2015/17.html |website=[[Constitutional Court of South Africa]] |issue=ZACC 17 |last10=Tshiqi |first10=AJ |author-link10=Zukisa Tshiqi}}</ref> The court held "...that the exit charge was not inconsistent with the Constitution. The dominant purpose of the exit charge was not to raise revenue but rather to regulate conduct by discouraging the export of capital to protect the domestic economy."<ref>{{Cite web|title=South African Reserve Bank and Another v Shuttleworth and Another (CCT194/14, CCT199/14) [2015] ZACC 17; 2015 (5) SA 146 (CC); 2015 (8) BCLR 959 (CC) (18 June 2015)|url=http://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZACC/2015/17.html|access-date=2020-11-11|website=www.saflii.org}}</ref>
{{clear}}

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Mark Shuttleworth}}

{{Wikiquote|Mark Shuttleworth}}
* [http://www.markshuttleworth.com/ Mark Shuttleworth's homepage]
* [http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/international/english/shuttleworth_mark.htm Spacefacts biography of Mark Shuttleworth]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Shuttleworth, Mark}}
[[Category:1973 births]]
[[Category:Alumni of Diocesan College, Cape Town]]
[[Category:British astronauts]]
[[Category:British bloggers]]
[[Category:British chief executives]]
[[Category:British software engineers]]
[[Category:Canonical (company)]]
[[Category:Cypherpunks]]
[[Category:Debian people]]
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[[Category:Open source people]]
[[Category:People from Welkom]]
[[Category:South African astronauts]]
[[Category:South African chief executives]]
[[Category:South African engineers]]
[[Category:South African inventors]]
[[Category:South African people of British descent]]
[[Category:Space tourists]]
[[Category:Ubuntu (operating system) people]]
[[Category:University of Cape Town alumni]]